• Puerta de Alcala - This monumental gate, built by order of Carlos III to replace a previous one dating from the 16th century, was inaugurated in 1778.
• Barrio de Salamanca - The tour includes a tour of the main streets of the Salamanca neighborhood: Velázquez, Ortega y Gasset and Serrano.
• Plaza Colon - The monument to Christopher Columbus presides over the square from the center of the fountain around which the traffic revolves. This neogothic style white marble sculpture, together with its imposing stone carved pedestal, measures 17 meters and was built in 1885 by Jerónimo Suñol, on the occasion of the celebration of the wedding between Alfonso XII and María de las Mercedes de Orleans.

The square is also home to the Discovery Gardens, a park inaugurated in 1970, where you can admire various sculptures such as the monument dedicated to the discovery of America.

In the basement is the Cultural Center of the Villa Fernán Gómez.

• Biblioteca Nacional de Espana - The National Library of Spain (BNE) is an autonomous body in charge of the deposit of the bibliographic and documentary heritage of Spain. Dedicated to gathering, cataloging and preserving bibliographic funds, it guards around thirty million publications produced in the national territory since the beginning of the 18th century: books, magazines, maps, engravings, drawings, scores and brochures.

Through the Library Museum and the Exhibition Rooms, the collections, the functioning and the history of the National Library are disseminated.

• Cibeles Fountain - Surrounded by the buildings of the Buenavista Palace (Army Headquarters), Linares Palace (America House), Communications Palace (formerly the headquarters of the Post Office and currently the Madrid City Council) and the Bank of Spain.

The fountain represents the Roman goddess Cibeles, symbol of the land, agriculture and fertility, on a chariot pulled by two lions, the mythological characters Hipómenes and Atalanta. The goddess and the lions were sculpted in marble and the rest in stone. The sculpture of the goddess is the work of Francisco Gutiérrez. The two lions have been sculpted by the Frenchman Roberto Michel.

The goddess is an icon for the followers of the Real Madrid soccer team, since the titles of the Madrid team are celebrated there, as well as the successes of the Spanish soccer team.

• Palacio de Cibeles - Designed and built by Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi as the headquarters of the Spanish Post and Telegraph Society, it was inaugurated in 1909. In 1993, it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of Monument.

Following patterns of rationality and functionality, the building represents the union of tradition and modernity. Built of stone, iron and glass, the Palacio de Cibeles sits on land that had housed the old recreational gardens of El Buen Retiro.

• Banco de Espana - Quite a decorative waste, awarded at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1884. The building was built with the aim of providing the National Bank with a headquarters more in line with the importance of its functions, such as the single issue of coins and bills for all the Spanish territory.

The interior of the building can only be visited by groups of educational centers and universities. Exceptionally, also by cultural and non-profit associations.

• Plaza de Canalejas - The Plaza de Canalejas, formerly known as the Four Streets; It is located in the Centro district of Madrid, it is located between Carrera de San Jerónimo and Calle de la Cruz, Sevilla and Príncipe.
• Plaza de las Cortes - The Palace of the Spanish Cortes, was built on the site of the old convent of the Holy Spirit that was used as the headquarters of the Congress between 1834 and 1841.

On the main façade, a staircase ascends to the neoclassical portico, with six imposing fluted columns, of the Corinthian order, on which rises the triangular pediment decorated with reliefs by Ponciano Ponzano. The iconic lions that flank the entrance are the work of the same sculptor and were cast from iron from cannons captured during the African War. Under the pediment, the chiseled bronze door is only opened on very special occasions.

Among the rooms in the building, with a symmetrical plan, the well-known Sessions room stands out, but also the library or the Conference room, better known as the “lost steps” room.

• Fuente de Neptuno - Both gods occupy prominent positions within the Greek mythological hierarchy and compete in the sporting arena, as Atlético de Madrid fans celebrate their victories in the Plaza del Dios del Mar, while Real Madrid do so in Cibeles.

As part of Ventura Rodríguez’s original project, both fountains were, at first, facing each other, looking at each other on one side of the Paseo del Prado. Both Cibeles and Neptuno underwent restructuring and relocation processes at the end of the 19th century, finally occupying the center of the Cibeles and Cánovas del Castillo squares, respectively.

• Prado National Museum - Uniquely rich in paintings by European masters from the 16th to the 19th centuries, according to art historian and Hispanicist Jonathan Brown “few would dare to doubt that it is the world’s most important museum for European painting.”

Its main attraction lies in the wide presence of Velázquez, el Greco, Goya (the artist most widely represented in the museum), Titian, Rubens and Bosco, of which it has the best and most extensive collections that exist worldwide, as well as what must be added outstanding groups of such important authors as Murillo, Ribera, Zurbarán, Fra Angélico, Rafael, Veronese, Tintoretto, Patinir, Antonio Moro, Van Dyck or Poussin, to name just a few of the most relevant.

• Jeronimos - Popularly known as “Los Jerónimos”, its official name is the Parish Church of San Jerónimo el Real. It is located next to the Prado Museum, at its back, and is in the late Gothic style with Renaissance influences from the early 16th century. Although little remains of the original building because over the centuries it has been remodeled and restored on numerous occasions.

Its name refers to its special relationship with the kings of Spain, to begin with it was built by order of the Catholic Monarchs and throughout history it became a place of spiritual retreat for several monarchs. In addition, for centuries it has been the scene of royal investiture in the absence of a cathedral and the wedding of Alfonso XIII was also celebrated here, for which the great staircase that leads to its door was built in 1906.

• Accompanying Guide

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